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MP: The anti-corruption crackdown must include corrupt leaders and figures.

MP Mohammed Abu Al-Eis affirmed on Thursday that the anti-corruption campaign must include leaders and figures suspected of corruption, clarifying that combating corruption should not be limited to specific entities or levels.

Abu Al-Eis told the Information Agency, “The anti-corruption campaign must include leaders and figures proven to be involved in corruption,” stressing the necessity of handling all cases within the legal framework.

He added, “Combating corruption requires including all individuals accused of corruption without exception or selectivity,” emphasizing the importance of taking the necessary measures against anyone found responsible.

He pointed out that achieving tangible results in this matter necessitates pursuing corruption cases and exposing those involved, thus strengthening efforts to protect public funds and solidify the principle of accountability.
Earlier, MP Ahmed Kain called on the Prime Minister to launch new anti-corruption campaigns and not be satisfied with the measures taken within what was known as “Operation Dawn.”

Almaalomah.me

Al-Zaydi directs the establishment of a new modern city in each governorate

Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi directed on Thursday that each governorate be responsible for establishing a new modern city with an area ranging between 10,000 and 15,000 dunams.

The Prime Minister’s Media Office stated in a press release received by the Information Agency that “al-Zaidi emphasized, during his meeting with the heads of investment authorities in all governorates, in the presence of the Minister of Finance, the Director of the Prime Minister’s Office, the Governor of the Central Bank of Iraq, the Head of the Higher Coordination Committee for Governorates, and the Head of the National Investment Commission, the importance of adopting a new vision for investment and urban development.

This vision is based on creating integrated, modern cities in all governorates, which will contribute to expanding investment activity, achieving balanced and sustainable development, and creating new urban environments that can accommodate population and economic growth.”

The statement added that “al-Zaidi directed that each governorate be responsible for establishing a new modern city with an area ranging between 10,000 and 15,000 dunams, ensuring that its design reflects the governorate’s unique characteristics, history, heritage, and geographical features, and that it bears its name.”

He explained that “Al-Zaydi directed that investment authorities in the governorates be granted investment loans specifically for establishing the infrastructure of the new cities, ensuring the provision of essential services in a comprehensive manner,” emphasizing the necessity for “these cities to become urban development hubs and a qualitative addition to the governorates, providing an attractive environment for residents, investment, and economic and service activities.”

According to the statement, Al-Zaydi also directed “the formation of a specialized committee to study the project urgently and develop appropriate implementation mechanisms, as well as instructing investment authorities in the governorates to submit a comprehensive vision for the project within a week, including plans, proposals, and the necessary requirements to begin implementation.”

He added that “Al-Zaydi directed the Ministry of Finance to facilitate the procedures for sorting and allocating the land needed to establish the new cities, ensuring the swift completion of the project’s requirements and the commencement of implementation.”

Almaalomah.me

A member of parliament identifies the main challenges facing the 2027 budget.

Member of Parliament Salem Shamel identified on Thursday the most prominent financial challenges facing the preparation of the 2027 budget, emphasizing that the lack of financial resources has become a major obstacle to funding both the operational and investment aspects of the state.
Shamel stated in an exclusive interview with the Information Agency that “the lack of liquidity and financial resources has a direct and complex impact on the mechanisms for preparing the 2027 budget, and represents the most significant challenge that could hinder its approval in Parliament.”

He added that “the most prominent reason for the shortage of funds and the decline in revenues is the disruption of Iraq’s crude oil exports as a result of the continued American aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran, which led to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the main shipping lane and export outlet.”

Shamel added that “the government is facing immense pressure due to internal challenges, namely the urgent need to fund stalled and unfinished projects, as well as to secure employee salaries, promotions, bonuses, and the regularization of contract and daily wage workers.” He pointed out that “the issue of appointing long-serving graduates, top-ranking students, holders of advanced degrees, doctors, and healthcare professionals requires enormous sums that cannot be provided under the current crisis.”

Almaalomah.me

Parliamentary Integrity: Auditing contracts and projects before their implementation protects public funds from corruption.

Member of the Parliamentary Integrity Committee, Ahmed Shaheed, affirmed on Thursday that combating corruption requires a shift from reactive measures to preventative ones. This includes auditing contracts and monitoring projects before and during their implementation to ensure the preservation of public funds. He also noted the importance of recent government directives in this regard.

Shaheed told the Information Agency that “project monitoring should encompass both governorates and ministries, with oversight levels commensurate with the project’s size and cost, especially for projects with large financial allocations, as these represent a priority in oversight work.”

He added that “curbing corruption requires activating the law rewarding whistleblowers who report corruption cases, strengthening oversight at border crossings, and pursuing corruption cases and exposing those involved within the legal framework.” He emphasized “the necessity of cooperation among all oversight and executive institutions.”

He further highlighted “the importance of monthly and quarterly reports on anti-corruption efforts, as they contribute to monitoring progress rates, identifying shortcomings, and addressing deficiencies,” calling for “translating oversight measures into tangible results on the ground.”AShahid noted that “the Prime Minister stressed that the Integrity Commission represents the first line of defense against corruption,” emphasizing the necessity for its work “not to be limited to oversight but to extend to prevention, with instructions to monitor provincial projects in the same way as ministerial projects.”

Almaalomah.me

Al-Maliki on the arms monopoly: The language of threats between the state and the factions has ended.

On Wednesday evening, Nouri al-Maliki, head of the State of Law Coalition, explained the mechanism currently being worked on to restrict weapons to the Iraqi state, noting that the process is to “organize and contain” weapons, and that the issue of “disarmament” could affect the other side (armed factions) as a label.

Al-Maliki said in an interview with Al-Sharqiya channel, which was followed by Shafaq News Agency, regarding the issue of restricting weapons and the controversy surrounding it, that “the language that was prevalent of defiance, threats and intimidation has ended, because it has become clear that threats do not lead to results, just as calling for conflict and attacking headquarters or attacking the government does not lead to results.”

He added: “Neither is the government weak enough to be attacked, nor is it in the interest of the factions to be attacked.”

He continued, “These are the first facts that have come to light, which have opened the door and the field for us and others interested in national affairs and the safety of the internal situation to find an opportunity for discussion and dialogue to reach a formula that resolves the crisis without exposing us to a state of confrontation.”

Regarding the mechanism currently being worked on, Al-Maliki explained that “the term (disarmament) is not used because the other party becomes titled (disarmed), and this has a psychological and practical effect. Therefore, it is about organizing and containing weapons in a way that we are still looking for, but it has priorities, and there is a distinction between heavy, medium, and light weapons.”

He pointed out that “distinguishing between weapons is one of the issues raised. Does the operation, whether it is called preservation, containment, withdrawal, or any other name, include all weapons, or only a type of weapon that is considered an internal and external targeting weapon? This will be resolved by the committee formed with the factions.”

On August 26, Maliki stressed the need to address the issue of restricting weapons to the state without escalation or confrontation, warning that turning this issue into a clash between the state and the factions would be extremely dangerous and could threaten the stability of Iraq and open the door to differing political positions.

In a statement issued by his office, Maliki stressed that any internal confrontation would be a “loss for all of Iraq,” not just for a particular party or group, considering that anyone who imagines that any potential conflict would be “Shia-Shia” is mistaken, because its repercussions will affect the state, society and all groups.

He added that the government and the coordinating framework will not allow the country to slide into internal fighting, calling for the development of a clear national and regional vision that prevents Iraq from being exposed to risks and prevents it from becoming an arena for settling conflicts or regional and international disputes of interests, in order to preserve its security, sovereignty and stability.

It is worth noting that the state’s monopoly on weapons does not have the consensus of the Iraqi factions, as the Al-Nujaba Movement, Kataib Hezbollah, Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada and other factions announced their refusal to give up their military capabilities on September 30, the date set by the Iraqi government, which coincides with the end of the international coalition’s military presence in Iraq, as these factions link the future of their weapons to the withdrawal of foreign forces.

The State Administration Coalition, which includes the most prominent Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish political forces in Iraq, had warned that any armed activity outside the framework of the state after September 30 would be dealt with according to the anti-terrorism law.

Shafaq.com

The disappearance of small denomination coins is causing “daily disruption” in Iraqi markets.

Local markets in Kirkuk Governorate are experiencing increasing difficulty in obtaining small denomination banknotes of 250, 500 and 1000 dinars, amid complaints from traders and citizens about their scarcity in daily transactions. Shop owners say that what is available is often old, worn out or torn, which makes it more difficult to use in buying and selling operations.

At first glance, the problem seems to contradict the available figures on the volume of small banknotes in Iraq, as recent data indicates the existence of hundreds of millions of banknotes of these denominations. However, their presence in the monetary data does not necessarily mean that all of them are actually available for circulation or in good condition, which raises questions about the cash cycle and the mechanisms for withdrawing damaged banknotes, replacing them, and injecting new alternatives into the markets.

Daily confusion

Abbas Ahmed, a shop owner in the Doctors Street market in Kirkuk, told Shafaq News Agency, “Obtaining 250, 500, and 1000 dinar notes has become more difficult than before, and the problem becomes clear when a customer pays their bill in large denominations, forcing us to ask the customer to buy another item with the remaining amount.”

He points out that some of the small bills that arrive at the shops are in poor condition, as they are torn, dirty, or worn out as a result of frequent handling, which makes it difficult for some merchants and citizens to accept them.

He adds: “The continuation of this creates daily confusion in the markets, especially for shops that deal with large numbers of customers,” stressing that the problem is not related to the value of the small banknote as much as it is related to its role in completing commercial transactions.

For his part, Samir Abdullah, the owner of a currency exchange shop on Al-Jumhuriya Street in Kirkuk, told Shafaq News Agency that the demand for small denominations has increased significantly, while it is difficult to provide them in the quantities needed by the market.

It shows that citizens and merchants resort to exchange shops to obtain small denominations, but the available quantities are not stable, and the problem increases when the papers offered for exchange are in a damaged condition.

He adds that small banknotes are passed between large numbers of people in a short period, which makes them more susceptible to damage compared to larger denominations, noting that some of the banknotes that reach the banking system need to be replaced instead of being put back into circulation.

Abdullah believes that the solution is not limited to injecting new banknotes only, but also requires withdrawing damaged banknotes from circulation on a regular basis, because their continued existence reduces the amount of usable cash even if official figures indicate the existence of large numbers of these denominations.

In the Citadel market in Kirkuk, wholesalers face the same problem. Hamza al-Jabari, the owner of a wholesale shop, told Shafaq News Agency that the shortage of small denominations has become part of daily transactions in the market.

He adds: “Wholesale and retail sales sometimes require returning small amounts to customers, but the lack of these amounts leaves the merchant with limited options, including rounding the price or adding another item instead of the remaining cash amount.”

He points out that some traders keep the 250, 500 and 1000 dinar notes they receive and do not use them in other transactions except when necessary, for fear that they will not be able to obtain them again, which in turn leads to a reduction in the movement of these denominations within the market.

He points out that “the problem seems simple from a financial standpoint, but its effects expand when it is repeated thousands of times daily, especially in popular markets, food stores, bakeries, transportation, and other activities that depend on direct cash transactions.”

Hundreds of millions of papers

The latest estimates published in 2026 indicate that the volume of small denomination banknotes does not necessarily reflect what the average citizen sees in the market.

According to Shafaq News Agency’s monitoring of cash issuance data, the number of 1000 dinar notes increased from 718 million notes in 2022 to 775 million notes in 2026, while the number of 250 dinar notes increased from 795 million notes to 818 million notes during the same period, while the 500 dinar note decreased slightly from 147 million notes to 145.4 million notes.

Thus, the total number of banknotes of the three categories amounts to approximately 1.738 billion banknotes according to these estimates for 2026, compared to approximately 1.660 billion banknotes in 2022, an increase of approximately 78.4 million banknotes.

The figures show that the 1,000 dinar denomination recorded an increase of about 57 million notes, while the 250 dinar denomination increased by about 23 million notes, while the 500 dinar denomination decreased by about 1.6 million notes.

However, these figures do not mean that all 1.738 billion banknotes are in citizens’ pockets or store safes and in good condition for circulation. They reflect the number of banknotes within the monetary issuance data and do not represent a field survey of the actual quantity of banknotes in circulation or the percentage of damaged ones. This is a crucial point when explaining the problem of the shortage of small denominations.

The Central Bank of Iraq still includes the 250, 500 and 1000 dinar denominations among the officially circulating banknotes, confirming when issuing the second edition of banknotes that the previous banknotes will continue to circulate alongside the new issues, without any intention of withdrawing them from circulation.

Damaged problem

Economic expert Ali Khalil told Shafaq News Agency that the problem of small denominations should not be measured only by the number of notes issued by the Central Bank, but by the number of notes that are actually valid for circulation.

He says that small batches are subject to high rates of consumption and damage due to their frequent transfer between individuals, and therefore part of the exported quantity may have gone out of circulation or become in need of replacement.

He adds that “the presence of more than one billion banknotes of the three categories within the monetary data does not necessarily mean that there is a surplus of them in the markets, because a banknote that becomes damaged loses its practical ability to perform its function, even if it remains counted within the number of banknotes that were issued.”

He points out that addressing the problem requires strengthening mechanisms for replacing damaged banknotes, ensuring that new banknotes reach the markets continuously, and monitoring the movement of cash between banks, exchange offices, and merchants.

Khalil confirms that “the shortage of small denominations is reflected in daily pricing, and may lead to inaccurate approximation of prices, which can sometimes burden the consumer with small additional amounts, but it becomes significant when it is repeated continuously.”

Central Bank instructions

Official data indicates that the Central Bank of Iraq already has specific mechanisms for dealing with damaged banknotes, as it has published official standards for their replacement, which include different conditions and procedures depending on the nature of the damage to the banknote.

An official electronic service is also available through the Ur portal for submitting requests to replace damaged banknotes at the Central Bank of Iraq, allowing citizens to submit their requests according to the approved procedures.

These procedures indicate that dealing with damaged banknotes is not the responsibility of the citizen alone, but is part of the cash management system that includes banks, the central bank, and mechanisms for withdrawing invalid banknotes and replacing them with banknotes that are negotiable.

In 2020, the Central Bank issued a decision to reinstate the penalty for shortages on small denominations, namely 1000, 500 and 250 dinars, effective from October 1, 2020, in accordance with the instructions on standards for the circulation and exchange of banknotes and counting and sorting mechanisms.

This reflects the monetary policy’s interest in providing small denominations in the monetary system, given their widespread use in daily transactions.

Citizens face a “change” crisis

Suhad Ibrahim, an employee, told Shafaq News Agency that citizens are the most affected by the problem because they cannot control the availability of small denominations when they buy their daily needs.

She adds that the customer may pay more than the value of the item, but sometimes does not receive the full change, or is forced to buy something else so as not to lose the remaining amount, noting that this problem is repeated in shops, markets and means of transportation.

She explains that providing small change in good condition will make everyday transactions easier, especially for employees and low-income earners who deal with small amounts frequently.

Between numbers and reality

The problem of small change reveals a potential gap between the amount of cash recorded in the monetary issuance data and the cash actually available for daily circulation in good condition.

Available figures indicate that there are hundreds of millions of banknotes in denominations of 250, 500 and 1000 dinars, but traders in Kirkuk say they are having difficulty obtaining them, while money changers confirm that part of what they receive is damaged or worn out.

Therefore, the question that arises is not only about the number of notes issued, but also about the volume of notes that are actually valid for circulation, the amount that was withdrawn from the market due to damage, and how quickly it was replaced with new notes.

Economists believe that addressing the problem requires more detailed data on the number of damaged banknotes withdrawn annually, the quantities of new banknotes injected into each denomination, and their geographical distribution among the governorates.

With a large segment of Iraqis continuing to rely on cash transactions, small denominations remain an essential part of daily economic life, despite their low nominal value.

While available data shows an increase in the number of 250 and 1000 dinar notes since 2022, and a slight decrease in the 500 dinar note, market complaints indicate that the real challenge lies in the availability of these notes in good condition and in the right place and time.

Hence, there seems to be a need to strengthen the cycle of replacing damaged currency, and to ensure that small denominations have access to banks, exchange offices and markets, in order to prevent the problem of “change” from turning into a daily crisis for both the citizen and the merchant.

Shafaq.com

Financial expert: Iraq needs a sovereign wealth fund to transform its oil revenues into sustainable wealth.

Financial expert Mahmoud Dagher stressed on Thursday that establishing a sovereign wealth fund in Iraq has become very important after the country was exposed to more than one crisis that caused imbalance and weakness in the economy, noting that the fund can protect the income of Iraqis and work to develop it.

Dagher told Shafaq News Agency, “All successive governments have a desire for centralized control over public funds, and all oil revenues are intended to enter the general budget to consolidate the government’s authority over them.”

He pointed out that there is a “lack of awareness” of the importance of the sovereign wealth fund, which can protect and develop the income of Iraqis, as well as help them with foreign investments inside Iraq and provide weight for investors.

Dagher pointed out that Iraqi governments, until now, “have not been convinced of the importance of having a sovereign wealth fund whose assets are outside Iraq, and which is managed by specialists and companies specializing in asset management in a profitable way, and away from the control of the authority that is taking place over the general budget.”

He continued: “Creating a sovereign wealth fund in this way would preserve the money and make it work and grow, instead of it remaining under centralized control of public funds.”

A sovereign wealth fund is a financial instrument that countries use to manage a portion of their revenues, particularly from natural resources, by converting them into long-term assets and investments instead of spending them entirely within annual budgets. The funds in these funds are typically invested in diversified markets and assets both domestically and internationally with the aim of generating returns, growing wealth, and preserving it for future generations.

Shafaq.com

Fuel crisis returns to Baghdad with long queues and closed stations

Baghdad and several Iraqi provinces are experiencing a new crisis in the supply of gasoline for cars and diesel for long vehicles, which has caused long queues in front of gas stations and traffic jams on a number of the capital’s streets and bridges, coinciding with the closure of dozens of stations, according to observations by Shafaq News Agency correspondents on Thursday.

Agency correspondents observed dozens of gas stations closing their doors for reasons that are still unclear, while large numbers of cars lined up in front of the operating stations, leading to queues that stretched for long distances and caused traffic disruptions in several areas of Baghdad.

The new crisis comes just 15 days after a previous crisis in the capital and several provinces was resolved, raising fears of a repeat of fuel supply disruptions at a similar pace.

A number of motorists told Shafaq News Agency that gasoline-related crises are becoming more frequent in short periods, questioning the reasons for their recurrence and demanding that the concerned authorities explain the reasons for the fuel shortage and the closure of stations.

Queues continue to form at a number of gas stations in Baghdad, amid no official explanation yet regarding the reasons for the new crisis or the nature of the measures taken to address it.

Shafaq.com

Iraqi Finance Ministry: More than 44 trillion dinars spent on employee salaries and welfare in the first half of 2026

The average monthly expenditure on employee salaries and social welfare programs in Iraq reached approximately 7.438 trillion dinars during the first six months of the current year 2026, according to cumulative expenditure data for the first half of the year.

Data from the Ministry of Finance, reviewed by Shafaq News Agency, showed that total spending on employee compensation amounted to about 30.769 trillion dinars during the first half of the year, while spending on the social welfare network amounted to about 13.858 trillion dinars.

Thus, the total operating expenditure on these two items amounts to approximately 44.627 trillion dinars during the first six months of the year, with a monthly average of approximately 7.438 trillion dinars.

This figure reflects the size of current spending related to salaries and social assistance, noting that the monthly average does not necessarily mean that the actual spending is equal from one month to the next.

Shafaq.com